Massarotti: Where's The Credibility In NFL?
PHOENIX (CBS) -- OK, so let me make sure I've got this right: Roger Goodell and the NFL can completely botch a criminal investigation involving a player, and NFL owners will line up behind him like he's the pied piper of integrity. But now that it's an organization and its brand on trial, Goodell is being told to be careful where he steps.
No wonder the NFL has no credibility.
America is undoubtedly tired of Deflategate, as it is being called, so I'll tell you what: today, let's focus on the league. Much to the chagrin of the people in Baltimore, we all believe the NFL either buried evidence in the Ray Rice case or made no real effort to obtain it. Either the NFL didn't want to know or it didn't want you to know, a distinction that really does not matter in the court of public opinion.
And you know why the NFL took this approach? Because deep down, all 32 NFL owners know that there is almost certainly at least one Ray Rice on every roster. That is not an indictment on the NFL so much as it is a statement of fact. I like football, too. Love it, actually. But like most everything else, the NFL comes with its share of tradeoffs. Even now, during the continued wussification of America, football is still a violent game. Generally speaking, you have to be wired a little differently to play it in the first place.
Capisce? On some level, we are all sellouts.
But let's get back to the matter at hand. On Monday, upon arriving in Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX, Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued a statement defending his coach, quarterback and team. In the matter of Deflategate, Kraft said that he "unconditionally" believes in coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, that his team did nothing wrong. Kraft then said he would expect an apology from the league if its current evidence turned up no definitive proof of a transgression, all of which certainly sounded like a warning shot to Goodell and league investigators.
During the Rice fiasco, of course, Kraft was among the most vocal owners issuing his support of Goodell. The NFL owners were in that one together. But now that Goodell is being asked to police the conduct between organizations, he's getting a very thinly veiled warning.
When the battle is owners vs. players, all 32 teams seem to be with the commish. But it when it's team vs. team… well… be careful where you step, big fella.
Especially when one of the teams involved is arguably the most influential owner in the league.
For fear of further stressing a nerve that has been exposed now for more than a week, let's not make this about the Patriots. As we noted last week, for lots of reasons, many of us have come to the conclusion that America hates New England. Maybe the Patriots did something shady here and maybe they didn't. We may never truly know. In the interim, Kraft has every right to defend his brand and his operation because he ultimately owns it.
But when the suspect puts the investigator on alert, you can't help but look at the whole operation up for inspection and come to the conclusion that it is all one big sham.
By now, we all know what Roger Goodell earned in the fiscal year that ended in the spring of 2013, estimates that placed his salary and bonuses in excess of $40 million. Got that? $40 million. That figure was paid by NFL owners for a job well done, and came after the NFL successfully negotiated with both players and officials. Goodell is paid – handsomely and then some – by the very owners he is allegedly policing, which makes him an employee of the league.
He ain't exactly Kenesaw Mountain Landis, folks. And how could he be? If he's hauling in excess of $40 million annually, Goodell would be a dope to even nip at the hand that feeds him.
All of this, of course, only makes the politics behind Deflategate all the more complicated because Goodell, in particular, took a major credibility hit in the Rice investigation. By targeting the Patriots in Deflategate, Goodell may stand to gain some measure of it back. If the investigation is successful, Goodell and the NFL would look awfully good if they reveal detailed evidence with names, times, pressure-gauge readings. Unlike the Rice case, the evidence would be there for all to see.
But if the investigation fails, particularly among a succession of reports in which anonymous sources were leaking more than the alleged footballs? Look out. The NFL won't just have an ongoing credibility problem. They will have an angry franchise and influential owner who will not need to go to an arbiter to appeal the decision.
He can just lobby with his fellow owners and send Goodell his next payment, along with a bright, pink slip.
Tony Massarotti co-hosts the Felger and Massarotti Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub weekdays from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti. You can read more from Tony by clicking here.
